We started with the usual stretches and then went on to break falls and rolls. I was surprised by how dizzy I got after the rolls but it cleared up after a while.

We then went on to cover a few pins in order:Kesa GatameKuzure Kesa GatameMune GatameKuzure Kami Shio GatameUshiro Kesa GatameTate Shiho Gatame(Found the names on judoinfo.com because I forgot them from class)

We then learned Osoto Gari.

The beginner class I joined is small (6 people) and all white belts. I think I'm the youngest person in the class too. The class was pretty laid back because most of the students have to go to work the next day.

Er good luck! Goshin Jutsu Kata is rarely taught in most Judo schools. I've seen it done at a seminar once, but that was by request. Honestly, a lot of modern Judoka see Kata as not much more than something that has to be done for a grading/promotion. They learn as much as they need to to get their next belt, then forget about it. Most of the time in Judo class is spent drilling technique and sparring.

To be honest, I've never been blown away by Goshin Jutsu. Highly unrealistic attacks and responses. IMO there are much better systems available to learn how to use grappling in terms of "Self-Defence" than said Kata. If you want to learn the Kata for the sake of learning it or out of interest, you should. You might find it hard to get someone who has the knowledge and desire to teach you though.

Today was similar to last Monday, we drilled lots of newaza and then focused on Osoto Gari. I'm focusing on using good form in my Kuzushi to start with. My instructor says that it's ok if I try the first part of the throw twice so that I get more practice with breaking balance.

We're apparently being taught in the traditional way (like in kata) because in the adult's beginner's class it's unlikely that we'll be in competition so we get to focus on correct form.

I'm still having trouble letting go of my right hand when doing Osoto Gari but I expect that when I get used to the throw I'll probably fix that problem.

So far, my impression is that Judo is a very technical art in both throws and groundwork but still involves a lot of explosive power especially when throwing.

Today we started with break falls as usual and then we moved on to throws directly. We were taught by two of the school's black belts (our regular instructor is a brown belt). We reviewed Osoto Gari and Ogoshi went over the basics of Ippon Seoinage which I found quite complex but not as tricky as Ogoshi.

I had a bit of trouble with getting too close to my training partner when doing kuzushi so I spent most of the lesson just drilling footwork and the lead into the throw. In the end I managed to do some ok throws.

Good Man Leo, keep at it! If you can get the entry to Seoinage down you'll find it much easier to do most other Judo throws. They use the same entry method and use the same Kuzushi and (mostly) simlar Tsukri methods. My old Judo coach use to say if you can do Ippon Seoi Nage, you can do 80% of the throws in Judo.

On Monday, we covered all of our previous throws and added Tai-Otoshi. We had a session where we were told to do as many Osoto Gari throws as possible in a few minutes on multiple ukes one after another. The idea was to stop us from taking the throw step by step and get it to work as a single motion.

Although I definitely need more practice to get comfortable with Osoto Gari, I think I managed a couple of good ones without pausing during the throw.

I attended my Dojo's Jujutsu class today to see what it's like. It was a great workout, much better than the beginners class and I was already tired after the warm-up.

We reviewed hip throws followed by a counter to hip throw using Osoto Gari. I did some live throws with a brown belt (kind of like randori but one partner is assigned to do the throwing beforehand) and I noticed that they throw differently from the way we do. Their kuzushi is not as effective as what we were taught in Judo class and my partner had a hard time throwing me. At one point he failed to do a dropping Ippon Seoinage and I ended up getting him in a back mount. He did manage to do a couple of sweeping throws but they felt a little less powerful than in the Judo class. His groundwork was excellent though and he's really fit.

I think my instructor wants me to join the Jujutsu class after I leave the beginner class but I'm more confident now that I made the right decision in choosing Judo. I really appreciate the focus on kuzushi and throws in my Judo class and the reason I wanted to do Judo in the first place was to learn how to stay on my feet instead of getting taken down.